Terminal Leave (episode)
Terminal Leave is the sixth episode in NCIS Season 2 as well as the 29th episode of the entire NCIS series. Synopsis A shopping trip for an Iraqi veteran and housewife turns deadly when she becomes the victim of an assassination attempt on her life, forcing the NCIS team to step in and protect her and her family from any further attacks but despite the local FBI agent insisting that a local terrorist cell is responsible for the first bomb, Gibbs soon suspects that someone else is behind the second bombing attack on the Commander... Prologue Navy Lieutenant Commander Michaela Shields is busy emerging with a trolley full of various items after shopping at a local store when she meets Sara Turcutt. The two friends embrace and then begin talking to one another while Micki's trolley heads to the SUV. The second it touches the car, it and the SUV blow up, creating one giant explosion which sends Micki ducking for cover. Act One The car park has become a crime scene and while the remains of the car are being hosed down, the NCIS Major Case Response Team of NCIS Special Agents Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Anthony DiNozzo Junior, Caitlin Todd and Timothy McGee arrive to investigate the bombing. As Gibbs heads for the scene, a Bomb Squad pulls behind them and an FBI agent gets out, demanding to know where Gibbs is going. He shows her his ID and she realizes Gibbs given Tobias Fornell has mentioned him. She identifies herself as Lina Reyes with Gibbs remarking the driver has a lead foot. Reyes tells him that they tend to hurry when they suspect terrorism. Gibbs admits that NCIS does the same, only when a Naval aviator is involved. Reyes then tells them about Commander Shields and the fact that she bombed civilians while serving in Afghanistan. Gibbs tells Reyes it was an accident and that an article 32 hearing cleared her of all the charges. Reyes agrees but there are still psychos overseas who are issuing jihadists threats against Shields and her family. Reyes then informs Gibbs who lies about talking to the NCIS Director that the FBI will be handling the investigation while NCIS will protect the intended target. As she leaves, Gibbs yells at Reyes that they want copies of everything she finds. He then orders Kate to check Commander Shields and target the rest of her family, DiNozzo is to secure her home and a full surveillance perimeter is to be established around the area while McGee is tasked with coordinating the feeds with MTAC. "And that's the reason why, Tony", Kate says. "Why what, Kate?", Tony repeats. "You'll never get my home address", Kate replies and heads into the scene to talk to Shields. It then cuts to Shields who's talking to her daughter and informs that she's alright. After Shields ends the call, Kate interviews her and tries to assure her that what happened in Afghanistan wasn't her fault although Shields says it's something she'll have to live with. Shields's husband, David Shields arrives to comfort his wife with Kate informing that NCIS are going to be providing protection for them. She then remarks about Libby, the Shields's dog who unfortunately was the only fatality of the bombing. At the scene, Gibbs wants the reports from Reyes and her team today. He then tells her about terminal leave and that in four days time, Shields will be a civilian which means NCIS won't be able to protect her. Reyes is stunned at Gibbs giving her a deadline but he simply urges her not to screw up. In the lab, Abigail Sciuto is going through the footage at the mall and finds nothing but Gibbs soon finds someone who might be the bomber, leaving Abby impressed and causing her to jokingly admit that Gibbs is hired. In the morgue, Donald Mallard and his assistant, James Palmer are autopsying Libby, the Shields's dog when Ducky finds something that he orders Jimmy take up to Abby right away. In the Shields's house, with all the cameras optional, Gibbs, DiNozzo and Kate are looking after the family while McGee is in MTAC, keeping an eye on things. Tony attempts to bond with Willy Shields, only for Willy to give him the cold shoulder. Once the briefing's ended, the Shields turn in for the night. As they head off, Tony and Kate discuss what sides they're going to cover before the talk turns into the downstairs bathroom with Kate stating that the seat stays down. "Unless it's up", Tony replies. Suddenly, Gibbs's cell-phone rings and he answers it. It's Abby who while standing in her lab and via a headset she's wearing tells Gibbs about the item that Ducky got from the dog. She ran it through a x-ray cinematography and has found traces of C4 which Gibbs figures out is a bomb. She's also found mercury which served as a vibration trigger and that the chemical signature in the bomb is an exact match to a bombing that killed an Naval attache in Morocco the previous month and they're dealing with... "An Al-Qaeda assassination team", Gibbs finishes for her. It then cuts to Gibbs who hangs up and looks grim-faced at the news. Act Two The next morning, Kate's in the shower, singing "Outrageous" by Britney Spears when Tony interrupts her. Kate freaks out and demands Tony leave, only for him to tell her not to use up all the hot water and that she hasn't shaved her legs in a week. He then gets hit in the face with a sponge for his troubles. Reyes arrives in the bullpen and tells Gibbs about three suspects that the FBI believe could be responsible for the threats against Commander Shields. She also informs him that the suspects are Khalib Hassan, Roland Alan Moore and Fernando Petroya, all of whom are suspected of having connections to Al-Qaeda. Kate shadows Jen when she's at school and her boyfriend, Lyle Chamber blames Kate for being the reason that half of their school isn't there today. When Kate tries to get into a locker and fails, Jen leaves the classroom and spends her time in the toilet, smoking where she tells Kate it might be four people but it hasn't been a family in a long time. A while later, Tony shadows Wally at soccer practice and after a nightmarish session for Tony, he approaches Gibbs, demanding overtime, only for Gibbs to tell him that Wally reminds him to Tony. However, Gibbs then notices that something doesn't feel right and it cuts to the person on the lawnmower where it shows that their left hand only has two fingers which confirms that it's Roland Alan Moore. Up in MTAC, McGee is playing an online game against Willy which he loses as a result of Gibbs appearing into MTAC. Gibbs arrives into the lab and Abby informs that the FBI have sent her messages. Gibbs answers the phone. It's Reyes who tells him that the photos are from Fernando Petroya's hard-drive and that he doesn't even know that the FBI has them due to the fact that they took them from his computer, cloned them and then returned. As Gibbs hangs up, Abby presses a phone to his ear. It's McGee who needs him up in MTAC right away. They've spotted someone in the background and McGee has Kate and Tony moving to intercept the person. In the house, Kate and Tony head for the back door, intending to catch the target, only to hear a sound of a door opening and closing again. Which is coming from upstairs. It then cuts to Tony who looks surprised. Act Three Lights come on in the Shields's house and Tony, Kate and Commander Shields who are wielding their own guns find that the "intruder" is actually Lyle Chamber, Jen's boyfriend. Once the threat's passed and Lyle has been sent home, Kate informs Gibbs and McGee who are in MTAC about the situation being a false alarm. Gibbs informs her that they're standing down and that she and Tony are to keep them informed. Tony and Kate then eavesdrop and listen to David and Micki berating Jen for her actions. When Jen gets all defensive, David jumps to Micki's aid but Jen isn't convinced, stating when has he started being concerned about Michaela's feelings? In the lab, Abby has found a reflected image of the bomber and works on cleaning it up. Kate has a heart-to-heart with Michaela who admits that raising a family while juggling a military career has proven to be very hard. Despite this, Michaela realizes that one of her greatest fears that she had while serving aboard has come true: she's brought the war home with her. In the lab, Abby's managed to get the picture and it shows that the bomber only has three fingers. Back at the Shields, David is against Micki running given the threats against her but Micki is determined to go and she'll have DiNozzo and Kate for back-up. In the other room, Kate and Tony are getting ready to go when McGee arrives, apologizing for being late due to the traffic. Despite DiNozzo claiming that Willy aka "the monster", Willy is more than thrilled to see McGee and the two then head upstairs while DiNozzo and Kate make last-minute preparations. At the FBI, Reyes realizes that the bomber is Roland Alan Moore and when she lies about getting him, Gibbs threatens her. Meanwhile, Kate and Tony are out jogging with Michaela when they notice a white van following them. After DiNozzo's informed McGee that they might have a situation, they then split up with Kate hiding behind some cars, her gun drawn. Unfortunately, a lone car then explodes, which sends Michaela to the ground, knocking her out while DiNozzo ducks for cover. It then cuts to an overhead view of the park just as the white vans pull up and men emerge from them. Act Four The area is now a crime scene and Reyes informs Kate and Gibbs that the five people following them were FBI agents but for some reason, NCIS wasn't informed of the plan. An enraged Kate berates Reyes for not telling NCIS and Gibbs suddenly tells her that the FBI wasn't interested in protection. They simply wanted the terrorist cell to strike again. When Kate confronts Reyes about the possibility of Shields and her family dying in the process, Reyes doesn't say anything which has Kate remarking that she thought Fornell was a bastard. After she's gone, Gibbs tells Reyes that her people were lucky because his people shoot to kill. Gibbs then heads over to Kate and wants to make sure she gets copies of the FBI's reports. Kate remarks that she doesn't trust Reyes for one second and Gibbs compliments her, saying that it's good that she's learning before walking off. As she glances at Gibbs's retreating back, Kate is met by Greta Boyen who wants to visit the Commander but Kate refuses, telling Greta the best thing she can do for the Commander is to go home. In the bullpen, Gibbs and Reyes have another showdown during which Gibbs threatens to tell the media about the FBI using the Shields as bait but Reyes eventually relents. However, Reyes is left waiting impatiently in Interrogation with McGee looking after her. However, Roland Alan Moore is in the morgue where he gets a demonstration from Gibbs and Ducky of what's going to happen to him after he's hung himself. Thankfully, Moore soon relents and gives up the names of the terrorist cell without the Shields being killed in the process. It then cuts to the Shields house where they're watching the news. Once Michaela's switched it off, she confirms that she's a civilian and she likes that. Kate gives Jen a blank hall pass which Jen thanks her for while DiNozzo makes one last attempt to bond with Willy but it goes out the window when Willy pulls another joke on DiNozzo. Impatience, Gibbs gives Willy DiNozzo's sunglasses before announcing that they're leaving. It then cuts to the car where DiNozzo's in mourning for his lost sunglasses. Gibbs suddenly gets a call from Abby who's in her lab and who tells him via her headset that the FBI have finally sent her copies of the second bombing but the problem is that it doesn't match the first. Gibbs then hangs up and turns the car around before announcing to his team that the second bombing wasn't the terrorist cell's doing because as it turns out, someone else other than Al-Qaeda wants the Commander dead. It then shows David breaking up with someone and it's revealed that it's Greta Boyen who intends to kill the Commander so that she and David can be together. Thankfully, Michaela has caught onto the plan and the two former friends are soon locked in a stand-off which ends with shots being fired. Gibbs and the team soon gain access to the house and it's shown that Michaela is still alive, having killed Greta in self-defense. On the way back to HQ, it's a solemn trip that is until McGee reveals that he special-ordered once which causes the entire team including Gibbs to laugh. Cast Series Regulars ::::::'Season Two Cast ' Recurring Cast Guest Cast Category:NCIS Episodes Category:NCIS Season 2 Episodes Category:NCIS Episodes written by Roger Director Category:NCIS Episodes directed by Jeff Woolnough Category:NCIS Episodes featuring James Palmer